This invention relates to a structural composite laminate useful in making upholstered seats, furniture, and the like as well as to a method for manufacturing the laminate.
Conventional seating, furniture, and the like typically incorporate a frame, a layer of coil springs, some type of cushioning pad or other material over top the springs followed by a sheet of covering material upon which rest finished seat cushions or the like. An additional sheet of coverng or scrim material is typically fastened across the bottom of the furniture to both prevent dust from entering the structural areas of the seating or furniture and to prevent particles of the various pads and upholstery materials from dropping out of the seating or furniture.
In the past, the cushioning pad or material intermediate the springs and covering material has been fashioned using sinuous wire, stiffened cardboard or paper, or the like. This cushion is typically subjected to a large amount of wear because of its interaction against the springs. It must also provide a certain amount of resistance to bending, and thus some support, although it cannot be too stiff so as to provide too rigid and thus an uncomfortable seat.
Certain drawbacks have been noticed utilizing the conventionally known pads or cushioning materials. With the wire type, the interaction between the wire and the metallic springs often causes noise when the seat or furniture is used. Further, during manufacture of the seating, the wire reinforced padding or cushioning material is difficult to use since it is hard to cut into the proper size and shape and thereafter must be securely and positively tied or fastened because of its strong resiliency. Other types of cushioning materials which do not use wire have been found to wear out quickly because of the rubbing action of the springs thereby reducing the life of the seat.
One specific type of cushioning material which has gone far to solve the above problems is a structural laminate for seating disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 3,616,142, entitled STRUCTURAL LAMINATE FOR SEATING AND THE LIKE, issued Oct. 26, 1971, invented by Albert Schrotenboer, and assigned to the same asignee as the present invention. This laminate utilizes a layer of cushioning material and a bottom layer formed of a plurality of spaced strips of folded paper held against one side of the cushioning material by a loosely woven or knitted web of starched, woven material. While this cushioning material has functioned well, it is rather tedious and difficult to manufacture since it requires the use of adhesives at various points within the manufacturing process in order to retain the various layers together. The folded paper strips and loosely woven strips also have not been extremely highly wear resistant. Moreover, the laminate described in U.S. Pat. No. 3,616,142, as well as the wire-reinforced and other types of prior known cushioning materials, have all required the use of the additional scrim material beneath the upholstered seating in order to prevent particles of the cushioning and other upholstery materials from dropping out of the furniture.
Accordingly, there has been a need for an improved cushioning material useful in making upholstered seating, furniture, and the like which is extremely durable and wear resistant, may be easily cut for inclusion in upholstery, overcomes the other problems mentioned above, and yet is easy, simple, and inexpensive to manufacture.